


Consequence

by ideallyqualia



Series: Rare Pairs [13]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Universe, KuniKage Week, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3385289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kunimi knows he passively lets things happen. He went through all of middle school watching as Kageyama grew into someone different, held himself back when he should have said something. Kageyama went on to a different school without Kunimi stopping him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consequence

**Author's Note:**

> For the KuniKage Week day 3 prompt: effort + distance.

Seeing Kageyama on the court wasn't a surprise. Kunimi knew that they'd meet each other again in high school, since they attended schools so close to each other. He knew Kageyama went to Karasuno, and he knew that Kindaichi didn't want them to meet or be friends.  

It still felt strange seeing someone from middle school on the other side of the net, when everyone else from Kitagawa Daiichi chose this side. Some of his teammates talked as if things had never changed, making fun of each other and sticking to old friendship habits. Even if there was one person missing, Kageyama wasn't mentioned as someone they used to include in all this. 

"He's never going to learn," Kindaichi told him. "Karasuno's going to make him sit out every game."

Unless he was forced into playing. They might have unintentionally stoked a fire into something completely different, or at least permitted the flint striking to happen. Their orange-haired first year was clumsy, but when he focused together with Kageyama, #10 became a sunny little weapon.

Kunimi had never seen Kageyama cooperate like this, actually responding to someone semi-successfully instead of snapping or just being pulled aside. He noticed Kindaichi bristle, since it was so noticeable when Kageyama tried to communicate with someone. He looked out of place, rough confidence gone and replaced with fidgeting.

Even with Oikawa's late arrival, Seijou lost. Kunimi wasn't expecting it, but he wasn't disappointed to lose a practice match where they didn't even have their main setter.

Kindaichi didn't have the same sentiment. He sought out Kunimi to complain as Oikawa went off somewhere on his own. He didn't know why Kindaichi always went to him first before anyone else, but it had been that way since middle school.

"Kageyama didn't order them around," he said. "And that quick." Kindaichi kicked at the floor. "Why didn't he do that before?"

"It's the same toss. He just has a different team."

Kunimi knew it was the same toss, but he didn't know if it was  _just_ a different team. Kageyama was different, too. The team brought something out in Kageyama, even if it was small and foreign. He responded to them better. It wasn't exactly kind, but it was enough to snap the orange spiker out of whatever fear he had on the court.

Oikawa returned from outside with a triumphant grin. He patted Kunimi and Kindaichi on the back and informed them of his conversation with the Karasuno team.

"We need to crush them in a real match," he said happily. "I was only here for a few minutes."

"There's no guarantee that we'll even play against them at inter high."

Iwaizumi's comment made Oikawa frown.

Kunimi felt uneasy about competing against them in a direct, official match. Oikawa always had an issue with Kageyama's talent, so that wasn't unexpected, but other teammates might have bitter attitudes over personal things with him.

Kindaichi didn't know that Kunimi wasn't on the same page as him. Kunimi still had feelings for Kageyama, somehow, enough to have him hesitate to say anything. He didn't hate or regret it, since he was too confused to understand. He wasn't distracted in the practice match, but he swallowed and stared at Kageyama, that familiar face set so intensely. Standing in front of him instead of next to him.

A scowl shouldn't have been any better than the old soft smile and round blue eyes. It wasn't; it was different. Kunimi looked at him and wondered if Kageyama was frustrated over him, if he ever felt intensely about him. Kunimi's stomach flipped at his focused expression, embarrassingly observant of how attractive he was, not just cute and innocent like he was in middle school but  _attractive._

Kunimi knew Kindaichi was clueless about it, but he forgot about Oikawa's skill in picking apart nuances in relationships. Oikawa approached him the next school day after the practice match. When he was alone, on his way to meeting people for lunch, he heard Oikawa's voice.

"Kunimi? Can I speak with you for a minute?" He asked cheerfully, almost singing his name, but when he took Kunimi aside he sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Oikawa clicked his tongue. "Oh, Kunimi. Are you still head over heels for him?"

Kunimi's heart stopped. He coughed to cover his surprised splutter.

Oikawa patted his shoulder with a pitying look. "You haven't done anything, so I thought you moved on by now. But you didn't look that way a few days ago."

Kunimi didn't want to hear any kind of romantic advice from Oikawa, especially crossed with a sour topic, but he didn't tell Kunimi anything specific. Oikawa just told him to be aware and okay with any matches. Oikawa was still Oikawa, though, and it had an edge of a warning in it.

There was a point in that conversation that Kunimi painfully noted. He hadn't done anything about Kageyama. Feelings or not, he didn't tell Kageyama to go to Seijou, or even ask why he chose Karasuno. That was the least he could've done without getting uncomfortable about an accidental, subtle confession.

He tried not to dwell on hypotheticals. The worst damage he could do to himself would be asking if Kageyama could've been stopped, if Kunimi could've kept him from becoming a demanding dictator. That was too far into the past to think about, but the upcoming inter high match-up brought "what ifs" that were just as unpredictable.

Inter high was a terrible time to approach Kageyama. Oikawa got his wish, and he didn't seem too sympathetic about any hard feelings between teams. Someone had to lose, and Kunimi knew how Kageyama felt about losing.

Kunimi's throat felt dry and tight. He didn't want to see Kageyama upset, but in the midst of spontaneous celebration, Oikawa nudged him out.

"Try something, right now," Oikawa told him. Oikawa was too happy to care about dealing with Kageyama, since he didn't have to, and Kunimi's panicked grimace just made him laugh.

Kageyama was sitting down outside. Alone. Kunimi didn't know where the rest of Karasuno was, but he didn't doubt that they were close by.

"Kageyama?" he asked quietly. Kageyama's head was bowed, and it snapped up at his voice.

Kageyama had puffy red eyes, and he wiped his hand over them.

"...Kunimi?"

Kageyama's voice was hoarse, and Kunimi couldn't tell if Kageyama was irritated at his appearance or not. He wasn't moving away or telling Kunimi to leave, though, and he kept still when Kunimi decided to sit next to him on the bench.

"I'm…sorry that that had to happen," Kunimi said. He wasn't responsible, but he felt like apologizing after seeing Kageyama's face.

He opened his mouth to talk again, even though he didn't know what to say next. His mouth stayed open for a few moments, and a sudden thud against his shoulder jolted him. Kageyama's head was on him.

He let out a tired sigh. "Why're you here?"

"To talk?" Kunimi stiffened a little as Kageyama's weight settled on him. Kageyama didn't answer.

Kunimi didn't think it'd be right to say something like "I miss you" right away, but he took so long trying to think of what to say that he realized Kageyama was fine with silence. Kageyama tapped his fingers together instead, and his hands fell on his legs, bumping into Kunimi's hands.

Kunimi wanted to say something before he accidentally grabbed his hand. He was afraid of saying anything humiliating, but by then Kageyama had calmed down enough to want to talk.

"Why aren't you with your team?"

"I wanted to see you again. There's time for celebrating later. And I don't think I want to be around Oikawa right now." He talked in a rush, so that he wouldn't stop and freeze. "Are you alright, Kageyama?"

Kageyama grumbled. "I'm fine."

"You are?" Kunimi slid a hand around to Kageyama's shoulder. Kageyama shifted and sunk down to let him.

"Yeah. I'm fine, I think. I don't think Hinata is, though. He sounded mad at me."

Kageyama mumbled something else, but Kunimi didn't catch it. He brushed his hand up and down Kageyama's shoulder, slowly at first. Kageyama didn't protest, and he continued to mindlessly rub. Kageyama's arm felt warm, and the curve of his shoulder was smooth and soothing to run over with his fingers. He didn't realize he made his way down to the bare skin of his lower arm until he was massaging there for a few minutes.

"How long are you staying?" Kunimi asked. "I don't know how long we've been out here."

Kageyama was silent. Kunimi tilted his head over to look, and he saw Kageyama's eyes closed. He was breathing too deeply to be awake.

Kunimi sighed. He was still too nervous to tell Kageyama why he actually came, but he didn't want to wake him up. He sat there instead, brushing his hand through Kageyama's hair and waiting until he woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


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